Ben Nevis 21 Year (1997) The Old Malt Cask K&L Exclusive

Review by: zSolaris

Image credit to /u/throwboats here

Distillery: Ben Nevis

Bottler: Hunter Laing

Region: Highland

ABV: 57.7% Cask Strength

Cask Type: Sherry Butt

Cask Number: HL15364

Age: 21 Year. Distilled Feb 1997, bottled July 2018.

Color: 1.0, Deep Copper. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

Nose: (according to the wife) Lots of fruits, they’re really sharp and fairly tart. Pineapple stands out along with a bit of citrus in orange and lemon.

Palate: Mouthfeel is fairly oily. It does require some watering down as it is pretty hot at full strength. After some water has been added, you get a bit of malt and a sugary bread. It’s joined by a limoncello note: tart, slightly sugary, and slightly boozey. Strawberry syrup follows afterwards with a bit of basil. The mix of the three is a bit of a lovely summery cocktail. Towards the back is a mix of white and black pepper.

Finish: Long, that pepper mix that appears late in the palate continues here. A slightly bready note remains as well. It reminds me a whole lot of the aftertaste after dipping a sourdough bread into an olive oil and pepper mixture. Very clean finish.

Conclusion: As I read my notes on this Ben Nevis again, it almost feels like it shouldn’t work. You have some strong fruity notes in the nose and the palate in citrus, pineapple, and strawberries. And then you have an oily, pepper mix with some bread. The two seem like they wouldn’t get along but somehow it works here. The little bits of bread and oil provide a clean start and end to this dram. The summery fruit cocktail mix keep things interesting in the middle resulting in a really lovely experience. If I wasn’t a couple of years late to this one, I’d definitely want to buy a bottle or two!

Final Score: 87.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

Leave a comment